As some of you know, I have recently ventured out to Asia for a 6 month thrill seeking holiday. Part of my hope while here is to spread the basic principles of karrihour. Japan was my first stop and let me start by saying if I had to give a bracelet to everyone that was kind to me there wouldn’t have been enough. One couple in particular will forever remain my fondest memory of the time spent here. Like many foreigners to Japan, the main goal was to have a sushi feast. On my final day I trekked to Tokyo and found a reasonably priced joint with the sushi go round set up.I began feasting, often referencing the English picture menu to confirm what was being served. The gentlemen sitting next to me noticed my hesitation and offered to order me custom rolls if I had any in mind. He was joined by his wife we began chatting. He asked if I was reporter as I was constantly taking pictures (instagram habits die hard). I took this opportunity to ask which train I should take to get me home and they offered to walk me there following our meals. We continued chatting and when asked what souvenirs I had bought in Japan I replied that all I had were my photographs but I was planning to get some green tea. [Read more…]

I was the recipient of a Karri Hour story yesterday. I went home to visit my family for the weekend. My dad hands me mail addressed to me.. curiously I open it up to a message that says, “Hi! I found this at the bus stop at Maple + Forest Wed. Jan 9/13. Best Wishes to you for 2013!”

My health card had escaped my wallet that day when I caught the bus. This stranger took my health card, packed it up in a little envelope and mailed it out WITH a warm greeting. How thoughtful and sweet… I still have a smile on my face 🙂 Next time I’m at this bus stop I will write a thank you note + Karri Hour, in hopes that this friendly stranger sees it and continues doing good deeds for the community. 🙂

This is an envelope that arrived to us a few weeks back and it is a series of several Karri-Hour letters that were written by a very special group of young children that had been told about Karri and about Karri Hour. Their teacher is a wonderful person who brought these over to us and who has been doing good deeds her whole life as a service to others.

The letters have been paraphrased but were a wonderful gift for us complete with the fantastic colouring artwork on each letter!

Dear Mr and Mrs Oksanen and Lexi,
I am so sorry for your loss. Our teacher told us all about what happened and we are sad. This is how I have served my Karri Hour this week: I helped my mom cleaning the house and am helping out on the weekend too. We are praying for Karri and your family.
From D.

Dear Mr and Mrs Oksanen and Lexi
My family has been praying for you. I served my Karri Hour this week by cleaning all of my baby sisters mess. I also raked the leaves and there was a lot.
Love, S.

While working at my job in Mantova, as a Carabiniere, I’ve met some people with drug and alcohol problems, others living on the street, who beg for change to buy food. Everyday I dedicate a little time from my work to talk to them and try to convince them to get help, help from a rehab centre for example, which may guide them to getting out of the dark “tunnel”, they’ve found themselves in. I was able to do this for one guy in particular, with another close to being admitted. Before Christmas, I gave some of my clothing to the one man, and the next day, when I saw him on the street, he hugged me and was wearing what I’d given him the day before.

A few nights ago I was leaving physio therapy on Dawson Road, Beside Pay-less mattress. A woman was struggling to get a headboard she had purchased as a gift for her dad, into her car. The store owner asked me if I could help; she was herself unable to. We tried together for about ten minutes but that sucker was not moving.

Finally I asked her where she had to go with it, and her answer was a retirement home around the corner from my house. I said ‘how about I put it in the truck and I will follow you over there’. She was a little stunned I think that I would do that for her but it was on my way home and really, it could have been anywhere in town. How else was she going to get it home.

While en route to the home, a thought struck me. A week before I had ordered 10 ‘pay it forward cards’ from someone who designed a card to get the Karri hour idea out there . They left their story on this site also. I thought ‘here is the perfect time to share a card with this woman’

When we got to the home I unloaded the frame for her and asked her a simple question. ‘Do you use the internet?’ When she said yes, a little, I tried to explain the card I then handed her, that says “pay it forward…..www.karrihour.com” [Read more…]

Every Christmas the Oksanen family has always welcomed me and everyone else into their homes for the holidays. I remember going over on Christmas morning to share what gifts I had received with Lexi and Karri. Being the older brother sometime Karri would be “too cool” to
play our new games, but by the end of the morning we would all be hanging out playing guitar hero or DDR. I’ve always been so honoured to have two families there for me. As a kid, opening gifts on Christmas was so exciting, which is why this Christmas some friends and I from school decided to sponsor a family. Parents at the school that can not afford to buy Christmas gifts for their children signed up to be sponsored. Between the three of us, we bought presents for
three children. We all went to the mall and made two build a bears for two young girls, and the fourth Harry Potter book. This was an anonymous gift, so the parents can sign it from “santa” or from them, but it will mean that they will have something to open and look forward to this Christmas. I did this in memory of Karri, and i’m starting to realize how important it is to not only do something so positive for other people, but to do it in memory of someone who was always such a positive person. Karri will never be forgotten, and will always be missed.

I am officially mind blown : )
For doing my part for Karri Hour, I took upon myself to sell bracelets to family, friends and strangers around Ottawa in order to spread the word of Karri Hour. Tonight I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up to the drive-thru window of Tim Hortons to find out my tea had been
paid for and along with it there was a Karri Hour bracelet. As far as I know I am the only person selling Karri Hour bracelets around the city. I am so happy that people I have sold bracelets to have passed them along in order to help spread the Karri Hour name. I will take this bracelet and share it on as that man/woman did for me

In September this year I moved up to Elliot Lake ontario, with my boyfriend. But I brought the Karri Movement with me. I left all my friends and family back in Guelph to start a life with my boyfriend and used Karri Hour to help out a community that was really in need. In the summer the Elliot Lake mall collapsed and everyone in this town was really effected by this. The vibe in this town is depression, hurt and suffer. I know I can not change that, I do not have the ability to bring back the people who lost their lives, I can’t give everyone the job they lost, nor can I take the pain away but I can help out.. I have started small like cleaning up litter downtown when I am down there for appointments, paying for the persons order behind me at Tim Hortons, and even ordering a bunch of coffees and bringing it into a random business for them to enjoy. I am completing my second year of General Business through distance ed and meeting some of the other students has really opened my eyes to how to help. Distance ed is not an easy way to learn, it is stressful, confusing and more frustrating then I can ever explain but I have dont what I can to help out the students struggling. Whether it be with school, life in general or school I do what I can to help encourage and motivate those who need it. Even just offering a listening ear to someone struggling can turn their day upside down. I thank Karri for being there for me when I needed it, and will continue dedicating my time in the memory of Karri to make a difference.

My friend Kiara directed me to this site once she had seen something I had posted on Facebook — this was my story from today:

I had just had an early class at school and I went to my campus William’s Cafe. I briefly chatted with the woman behind the counter and asked her if they had any mint-chocolate hot chocolates. She told me they had a candy cane one and I asked her for one. I handed her my payment and she looked at me, smiled very sweetly and said, “No need, just pay it forward.”

I was shocked, but it’s times like this that bring smiles and warmth into people’s lives and hearts. I will be awaiting my opportunity to pay it forward and do something for someone else and make them feel the way I did. Thank you for giving me a place to share this wonderful experience.

This isn’t a full effect karri hour story, just a good deed I witnessed.

As many people reading this may know, in post-secondary education world, it’s midterm season. This means stressed out, grouchy, anxious, and sleep deprived students are prevalent. Yesterday (the 31st) my boyfriend and I spent the majority of the day in the library, both feeling pretty sorry for ourselves that we had upcoming midterms and couldn’t celebrate halloween. My boyfriend was feeling especially stressed as he had an exam the next morning and was feeling pretty under the weather. We left the library, attended our last class, and headed home in sour moods. Shortly after getting on the bus my boyfriend realized he could not find his phone. His birthday had just passed and his parents bought him the new iPhone 5, naturally he was very distraught. we tried calling it multiple times, sending the phone text messages offering a $300 reward, and we got no response. My boyfriend was pretty upset, after a long, cold, rainy day filled with
studying this was not the ideal end. About an hour after calling his parents and telling them the news, we recieved an email which read “I found your phone! You dropped it in NCB, dont worry about the reward 🙂 give me a call if you want to meet up to take it back”

Instead of stealing this brand new expensive phone, this stranger offered to meet up on a rainy night and return it to its rightful owner, politely declining the offer of a reward and simply stating “I’ve lost phones before too, it sucks, it’s a horrible feeling, I’m just glad I could help.”